College football: Ranking the NFL careers of Heisman Trophy winners 1975-2005

Ranking NFL careers of Heisman winners: 11. Herschel Walker, RB, Georgia

Herschel Walker might be known now for his political aspirations, but once upon a time, he was a phenomenal football player. Walker was pure greatness at the University of Georgia. Walker is the only player in the history of college football to finish all three of his seasons as top three in Heisman Trophy voting. His time in Athens was unlike any running back we’ve seen before. Going into the NFL, he was expected to be the best player at his position immediately.

Walker is another player who left college to go play for the USFL. He wanted to leave college a year early and start getting paid. It’s hard to blame him since he didn’t have much to prove at the NCAA level.

He absolutely dominated the competition in the USFL. He had 5,562 yards over a three-year career with the New Jersey Generals. His 54 touchdowns also feel like a video game stat. He was just dominant for a league that was desperately trying to compete with the NFL.

After three years, Walker went to the Cowboys where he finally hit his stride in year three. Walker ran for more than 1,500 yards in his third season, and that pushed the Minnesota Vikings to make one of the most famous trades in NFL history. The picks were used by the Cowboys to take Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, and Darren Woodson among others. Walker never really hit the same stride in Minnesota. He still had a great professional career, especially considering the years he had in the USFL.